Within the construction arts, many newly erected structures, whether designed for office use or housing, include storage systems and closets comprising wire shelving. The design of common wire shelving used in homes and businesses serves the basic problem of inexpensive shelving for large items or items with bottoms/bases that span more than one section of cross wiring. Although this form of shelving is preferable due to weight, material and flexibility concerns, design considerations dictate that a gap should exist between each wire member in order to minimize weight and production cost and maximize efficiency. However, this inherent spacing between each wire member tends to create difficulty as items may tip over or even fall through the spaces between the wires.
When linen, clothing and the like are placed upon wire rod based storage systems comprising space between the individual wires, the existent space inherent creates wrinkling and soiling of the items stowed occurs. Furthermore, the inherent risk of smaller items tipping or falling through, or liquid or powder products spilling from a higher shelf onto items on lower storage shelves or the floor tends to render the wire shelf uni-dimensional. Moreover, when the breakdown of materials employed to coat the wire implements occurs, fine materials are left to interface with raw wire, which create chemical reactions often resulting in stains and tears in the fine materials.
An additional concern revolves around providing the consumer with a safe, aesthetically pleasing and flexible shelving system, that the consumer can install. This would include a more permanent design rather than cardboard, heavy cloth, or wood as these genres of systems could be prone to slippage hazards, become prohibitively heavy or even require the user to cut the material to size.
Within the art, concurrent attempts to rectify these shortcomings include utilization of flexible materials in conjunction with adhesive materials to conform to the shape of the wires and temper slippage, and employment of thin, flexible sheet materials supplied in rolls and comprising notched extending tabs that interlock with the wire cross members prevent slippage. Additional systems exemplify deployment of a spring clip or a downward extending tab that engages a front rod of the wire rack. These devices, however, tend to extend well into the special area beneath the wire shelf and may inhibit usage of that area.
Disadvantages of the concurrently employed systems illustrated, other objectives, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.